Vigilo People

People

Joe Degiorgio

I am one of the volunteers at Mamo Tower, or Torri Mamo, in Marsascala. As volunteers at a historical site our work permits the site to be accessible to the public. We also keep the site clean and help with identifying areas that may need attention, such as maintenance or repairs.

I always had a passion for our local history. A few years ago, while scrolling through a social media app, I saw a call for volunteers and decided to do something about it. By joining as a volunteer, I am now doing something tangible and contributing part of my time towards the safeguarding of our heritage.

For me, the best part of this experience is the opportunity to meet other people and share with them the beauty of our immense history.

As a member of another voluntary organisation active in the research and representation of our history, the Compagnia San Michele, I often strive to merge the historical site with historical representation, thus giving additional context to the site itself. This also contributes to keeping alive the collective memory of the nation.

Martin Vella

I am the curator at the Wignacourt Tower in St Paul’s Bay. In 2001, I met Stanley Farrugia Randon who encouraged me to join Din l-Art Ħelwa as a volunteer. Between 2016 and 2019 I was the site manager during the restoration works at the Torri l-Abjad site in Mellieha.

What I enjoy most about my role at Din l-Art Ħelwa, is welcoming visitors at the Wignacourt Tower and explaining its historical background to them. I also enjoy doing general maintenance and keeping the other volunteers involved in the daily running of the site. Presently, we are considering ways in which to revive the Wignacourt Tower once again once the present social restrictions due to the pandemic are lifted. Who knows what the future has in store.

Rosanne Zerafa

I am the office manager at Din l-Art Ħelwa’s main office in Valletta. I administer the office work which includes keeping in touch with and helping the volunteers. I also take care of the accounts and try to solve the many problems that crop up on a daily basis. I am also in charge of renting out the Delimara Lighthouse. What I can say is that no one day is like the next.

I got to know about Din l-Art Ħelwa when I first became a volunteer at Our Lady of Victory Church in Valletta. I appreciated the history of the church and got to know about the restoration work being done there at that time. This inspired me to take a closer look at Din l-Art Ħelwa’s activities and I eventually joined.

I enjoy meeting and talking to all the volunteers who altruistically all give their time to help support Malta’s heritage. I feel very happy when I see that Din l-Art Ħelwa’s work has saved another part of our history such as a chapel or tower and I am pleased to think that with my small contribution, I would have helped Din l-Art Ħelwa’s efforts to save Malta’s heritage.

Looking ahead, I hope to give more input in seeing our sites used more for events and eventually when I retire, I will like to once again become a volunteer.

Simon Wallace

I am a volunteer based at Dwejra Tower in Gozo. My main task is to welcome visitors to the building, manage the tower’s Facebook and Twitter pages, and help raise awareness of the wider work of Din l-Art Ħelwa through social media. Just over five years ago, I replied to a ‘volunteers needed’ post on Facebook by the warden in charge at the time. I had recently moved to Gozo after having taken early retirement from a busy career with library and museum services back in the UK. In that previous role, I had worked alongside and supported many volunteers, so I knew how rewarding and enjoyable such work can be. Initially, I wasn’t sure about the opportunity, and after visiting the tower (the view from the roof gets me every time) I volunteered for a trial period of three months. Well here I am, still here after five years, and still enjoying my volunteering work! I think that’s also down to the season-round natural beauty, the rare flora of the surrounding Natura 2000 site and the impressive dark skies that you can experience over at Dwejra. I really enjoy sharing the tower’s unique and interesting story with local residents and visitors. It is also good to raise awareness of the importance and fragility of such an important natural environment on the Maltese Islands. Dwejra is an area where nature’s beauties come together; through geology, flora and fauna, archaeology, astronomy, history and ecology. I’m lucky enough to be Din l-Art Ħelwa volunteer in such an amazing place and to be part of a small, but enthusiastic and dedicated team. We are now looking forward to the forthcoming restoration works planned at Dwejra. These form part of ‘The Northern Coastal Watch’ initiative through the European Regional Development and the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA). Once completed we should be able to offer an enhanced visitor experience and we hope to build on our programme of educational events and other activities in partnership with local agencies and NGOs. Looking further ahead to 2022, the tower will be (just) 370 years old - and that we feel deserves some form of celebration!